Talk:RachelLeVega's The Amazing Race 2/@comment-8163902-20130502230440
MEET THE TEAMS Anthony & Damario '(39 & 44 yrs.) - ''Single dads from Toronto, Ontario; Anthony Rodriguez and Damario Isthmia were brought together by a night at the pub. Upon discovering that Anthony divorced his wife that yesterweek and Damario was widowed after a tolling car accident, they have since become close friends. Within a couple years, they opened an online forum and storefront dedicated to parenting to share their experiences and help others around the globe overcome the stresses of disciplining children, finance, and workplace predicaments as an individual. Their website has garnered over 900 certified individual users and been testified by the Better Business Bureau for an Awards for Excellence. Anthony, the franchise development coordinator, enjoys thriller and comedy movies, card games, playing soccer with his son, running, and surfing the Internet for travel editorials and sports news. Damario, the chief moderator for their company, enjoys basketball, home improvement projects, flipping homes, and ball hockey. Freshly exposed viewers of TAR, their goal is to win the $750K to give healthy, bright lives for their children and replace a rundown car Anthony has had since college. '''Chet & Jeff (48 & 45 yrs.) - Park rangers from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba/Cody, Wyoming; Chet Douglas and Jeff Goustran are fueled with spontaneity, alert for every emergency and security measure. While both assisted firefighters in 1988 to extinguish the widespread inferno destroying Yellowstone National Park, they met each other eight years later on duty. Off the clock, the two wardens went beyond their isolated Wyoming cities and took overnight drives in each others' jeeps to explore the Thunder Basin Grasslands; Billings, Montana; and Snake River in Idaho. A few years later, Chet moved to Manitoba to settle with his wife of ten years who loved the quaint town she grew up in. Although a distanced friendship, they reminisce their misadventures and chat about journeys and other life events yet to be completed. With a successful Race audition, they plan to reunite again to take this intense trip to see much more of the world. Chet, a patrol for Lake Manitoba, enjoys taking long walks at the beach, eating an apple a day, and playing scarring pranks on Halloween. Jeff, a 27-year Yellowstone ranger, enjoys teaching kids about the outdoors, smoking, and creating an inachievable bucket list to live life to the fullest. Big fans of TAR, their goal is to explore the world as "in its purest and most natural eyesight (Jeff)". Clarence & Azalea '(25 & 24 yrs.) - ''Boyfriend & girlfriend from Oxnard, California/Thousand Oaks, California; Clarence Ross and Azalea Eka met at Pepperdine University during freshman year and began dating since. While Clarence is working to become an attorney, the first African-American Juris Doctor in his family tree, Azalea considers business management on the forefront of her life thanks to her aunt and uncle showing her the ropes of running a seafood packaging facility and gift shop along the coast. Their strengths comprise of their quick wits and knack of reaching a common decision, though their downfall might just be their lack of good judgment. As for Azalea, she acknowledges her boisterous personality, but wants to prove she can tone herself down and not be overtly tryhard to develop her sensibility. Their favorite date so far is a blues-serenaded picnic at a winery accompanied with a night of exquisite tastings, and they hope to make more of these treasured memories during the race. Clarence, a full-time student, enjoys mountain climbing, snowboarding, and volleyball. Azalea, a student working part-time at a hair salon, enjoys rock climbing, surfing, sculling, and trying on different cosmetics to look "classy yet sassy (Azalea)". Both fans of TAR, they are setting out on the Race to spend more time together and fall in love all over again. '''Evan & Laura - (22 yrs.) - Separated-at-birth siblings from Nashville, Tennessee; Evan and Laura Schiphold are siblings - and met one year ago! After a divorce between their parents with their father and mother splitting the boys and the girls into their respective parental figures' ownership, Evan and Laura had little clue they were related until a mixup occurred while Evan was closing deals on an apartment. After an awkward encounter with each other, they found out their two other siblings, matching eye color, forehead creaselines, and similar DNA structure were not a coincidence. While their parents refuse to communicate to each other and admit regret, Evan and Laura continue to share stories from their childhood to catch up on nearly a bidecade of unawareness alongside the rest of their siblings. Evan, a project accountant, enjoys playing the guitar and electric bass, eating, and playing baseball with his guy friends. Laura, a vice CEO of a startup fishing company, enjoys drinking with her friends, going to the lake, bargain hunting, and spending time with her tabby cat Mercury. Both casual viewers of the Race, Evan and Laura plan to reconcile their personal boundaries, and hope their skills and faith would propel them to win the $750K to buy a luxury speedboat and help Laura kickstart her fishing company. Ivana & Liza '(24 yrs.) - ''Sisters from Huntington, New York/Cherry Hill, New Jersey; Ivana Povlovak (nee Grudzie) and Elizabeth Grudzie, born in Warsaw, Poland and emigrated to New York when they were seven, reveal hard work and valued companionship pay off. Carrying on their Jewish heritage, the Grudzie sisters believe helping their family is their utmost priority. As children, they were taught by their father to fear nothing while their mother encouraged them to take upon any challenge; though, the sisters agree rivalry rooted most of their bravery. Liza owns a forceful spirit and employs great effort to stay fit, undertaking five half-marathons and finishing in less than 125 minutes each. A five inches shorter and newly married Ivana admits she is less known as a barrier breaker, and even deems herself lazy. However, she considers her unpredictability her most prized trait, saying she will "give the sneak attack trick, jump ahead, and nobody will understand why (Ivana)". Ivana, a corporate manager, enjoys going to the beach, concerts, visiting local businesses, and solving word puzzles. Liza, a recent University of Pennsylvania pharmacology graduate, enjoys swimming, ballet, and softball. Longtime followers of TAR, their goal is to win the $750K to pay off student loans, and for Ivana to have her honeymoon. '''John & Vanessa (26 yrs.) - Exes from Burnaby, British Columbia/Vancouver, British Columbia; John Winecook and Vanessa Cantrell called it off after their affection faded away. After a few months of contemplation, the two former daters wanted to rekindle their love and decided the Race would be the perfect outlet to prove whether they were meant to be together or stay exes. John argues Vanessa has a vindictive mentality and a second chance would mean the world to him. On the latter, Vanessa says John is easily provoked over nuances, and she wants to be respectful to see his growth from their last date. Both incredibly competitive - with John who received a lacrosse scholarship to Simon Fraser University and played professionally, and Vanessa who advanced to the 2006 Winter Olympic trials for women's freestyle skiing - they peeve forfeitters and plan to make every effort to stay ahead of the pack. John, a former Canadian Lacrosse League midfielder and current lacrosse coach, enjoys running, going to the gym, playing video games, and skateboarding. Vanessa, an audio engineer and part-time skiing instructor, enjoys listening to music, recallibrating instruments to destress, urban calisthenics, and traversing mountains. Taking on the Race, they vie for the $750K prize and hope they can start fresh. Kris & Jamie '(19 yrs.) ''High school sweethearts from Staunton, Virginia; Kristian Tanner and Jamie Milgin caught love at first sight in high school. Kris describes their encounter during afternoon scrimmage as a "burst of sunshine (Kris)", and says he could not take his mind off Jamie for the whole day. Meanwhile, track star Jamie was nervous to ask her crush, but immediately met up after their practice to plan an outing. Their first date was an evening on the rooftop of Wal-Mart where they shared homemade cookies and their first kiss. During their senior year, both were accepted into Roanoke College and they continue their legacy of love every chance they count on while hitting the books and the gym. Considering themselves the "Brain and Brawn Millennials", they reckon they will be a threat to other competitors due to their boundless youth and physical strength. Kris, a student on a soccer scholarship, enjoys commentating about sports, weightlifting, eating, and cooking. Jamie, an economics student, enjoys drawing, running, baking pastries, and sleeping whenever she can. As new viewers of TAR, they want to cherish all their memories from the Race and win the $750K to graduate from college debt-free... and buy an engagement ring! '''Melanie & Jennifer - (62 & 57 yrs.) Working moms from San Francisco, California; Melanie Shiu and Jennifer Jiang first met volunteering at their children's booster club. Melanie's husband decided to move the family from Taipei, Taiwan several years ago for an overseas job, and resided in Chinatown mainly due to her struggles learning English and feared traveling beyond her comprehensive boundaries. Jennifer, also born from a Taiwanese family, helped Melanie accomodate her home culture into American livelihood, and quickly became great friends. Now directors of the Bay Area Chinese United Women's Organization, they have become powerful chiefs of cultural education and mutual support. Melanie, a banker, enjoys cooking, gardening, mahjong, meditation, and watching television. Jennifer, a financial risk advisor, enjoys outdoor yoga, photography, spending time with her son and daughter, visiting new experiences, and meeting new people. Motivated by their avid Race-viewing kids to be the coolest mothers in the universe, they want to run the Race to win the $750K for their children's future, while Melanie wants to conquer her fears of traveling abroad. 'Pat & Trent ' - (24 & 26 yrs.) Professional football quarterbacks from Daphne, Alabama/Los Gatos, California; Patrick White and Trent Edwards compete against one another on the field, but the off-season fuels most of their conversations. An experienced baseball outfielder and professional right-hand man for the Miami Dolphins, Pat will channel his sports-centered skills into the race as a physical powerhouse along with his drive to do marvelously to compete against the best. Trent, playing for the Buffalo Bills, also holds the brains of the operation. A strong support group for his team, he plans on using the same mentality on the field to further him and Pat to the final leg. Pat enjoys basketball, cooking Cajun food, dancing, spending time with his mom and pop. Trent enjoys traveling to the beach, listening to music, horseback rides, and hanging out with his buddies at the bar during off-season. Racing for their charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, they plan to use the money to purchase essentials and toys for the healing children and help the doctors replenish supplies and give them state-of-the-art cancer and vaccination equipment. 'Sam & Jillian '- (26 & 30 yrs.) Professional wrestlers from Jacksonville, Florida/Orlando, Florida; Samuel Shaw and Jillian Hall bear zero tolerance for whiners and quitters. In a sport demanding tons of physical stamina and power, these two iconic wrestling figures have been friends for years, training together for their battles, and rooting for each other to clobber their opponents. Sam began his journey at the WWA4 Wrestling School where he learned to never show vulnerability, and weak spots are prone to failure. Out of the ring, he takes time and effort in producing artistic masterpieces to share with his fans. He describes himself as a goof when people peel away his intimidating exterior. Jillian is one of several WWE divas in America, and is an athlete at heart having done cheerleading and gymnastics in the past. A passionate animal lover, her biggest fear is a task requiring her to consume meat. She is charming and sweet, but two pet peeves of hers may turn vocal if she sees it: dishonesty and litterers. Sam enjoys looking at comic books, drawing, drinking, and perfecting his ninja powers. Jillian enjoys basketball, emceeing, partying with her girls, and watching movies. A common goal for them to win the title of winners of The Amazing Race, they plan to move aggressively and think tasks through completely before making careless mistakes. If they win the $750K, they plan to donate half to their earnings to their respectives charities and save the other half for their personal lives. 'Susie & Mark '- (56 & 24 yrs.) Mother & son from Moncton, New Brunswick; Susana and Mark Ramires-Bustamante previously lived in Louisiana, and have survived three tragic storms that destroyed and washed away all their belongings. After Hurricane Katrina dissipated, the single mother and her son were forced to live on the streets for one year and a half before earning enough money to rent an apartment. After a few years, Mark was given a large promotion from his office job to work in New Brunswick where they happily moved upon request of a lucky compensation. Susie believes her connection with different people, God, and a will to succeed strengthened her to fight through all the pain inflicted from the natural disasters. Divorced from a deadbeat husband, she continues to exude confidence with herself as an independent woman and explains having no more romantic partners is the smartest decision she has ever made. Mark now has a girlfriend of two years and believe the relationship is on track for marriage. Mark recalls his mother had the most positive influence on his life, displaying upbeat attitudes in the face of adversity and neverminding the bottomless pit of doubters they had. Susie enjoys dancing, shopping, swimming, and playing tennis on her local team. Mark enjoys fishing, hunting, playing four different instruments (sometimes simultaneously), and spending quality time with his mom and friends. Vying for the $750K, they plan on using the money to pay off $200K worth of credit debt, student loans, and backpack around South America.